//------------------------------// // Unexpected Joyfulness // Story: Eye of the Hurricane // by InsertAuthorHere //------------------------------// Raindrops stepped out through the door and into the start of a beautiful new existence. The crisp morning air filled her lungs, spreading a new sense of life through every inch of her body. The burning flames of anger that had roasted her very spirit for so long had finally died out, replaced by a newly-formed hunger for everything that Equestria had to offer. She could just stand in this spot all day and be perfectly content. “Um, Rainy? I need to get to school, and...you're blocking the door.” Hearing her brother's voice, Raindrops kindly stepped to the side and allowed him safe passage to his class. Snails rolled his eyes a bit at his sister's odd behavior, but then remembered where he had to go and darted off for another glorious day of fun and learning. Their parents were already busy with their own daily activities, leaving Raindrops alone to finish her task. First stop, Bon-Bon's Confectionarium... ---------- Bon-Bon raced frantically from one shelf to the next, her mouth sealed around a large tray filled with all manner of suckers. With all the speed of a trained candy master, she slid one batch into a display bucket of watermelon sticks, another into a paper tube for the day's special, and finally the last of them back onto the rack for later use. The entire shop was filled with a mixture of a hundred different aromas, ranging from chocolates and cherries to rainbows and loganberries, and all held together by the distinct taste of sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. Still, such was the plight of the candy store owner, especially when she had to do so much on her own. Business was especially good this time of year, with orders coming in from all over Ponyville and even a few towns beyond. After the mess a few months ago, everypony was eager to order their sweets from the marefriend of a national hero. Of course, the advertising campaign certainly didn't hurt, and as long as Lyra didn't know what was going on, Bon-Bon could keep things going indefinitely. They certainly needed the bits; she loved Lyra's music, but the fact was that it wasn't really bringing in the dough. She had just finished setting up another display of freshly-delivered Rainbow Bars when she heard a knock at the door. At first, the mare looked at the nearby clock, noting how early it was for anypony to arrive. Her busiest hours were usually right after school got out, save for holidays and special events. But then she actually bothered to look out the window, and upon recognizing the blonde-maned pegasus on the other end, set her tray aside, leaped over the counter, and threw the door open. “You know, you're really early today,” she said in a mixture of joy and tempered frustration. Ditzy Doo grinned and stepped inside, closing the door behind her with one hind leg. “Sorry, but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't late. I really have to thank you for letting me help you with this.” Bon-Bon smiled and nodded. “It's no problem at all. Normally, I have Lyra run these deliveries, but she's been...well...” Ditzy's eyes briefly crossed back into alignment in shock. She knew her euphemisms well enough to tell what direction this conversation was headed in, and it was only by divine providence that Trixie wasn't there to freak out and start belting out another rousing bout of the “La-La-La-La Symphony” or something like that. “Y-You mean she's i-” “She's waited too long before filling out some paperwork for an upcoming performance. By the time she actually got up and started doing her job, it was already well past due.” Bon-Bon shook her head. “Sometimes, I worry about that mare of mine.” “Oh...yes, of course,” Ditzy said, her voice half-hushed and painfully wistful. “Say, where is she anyway? Still sleeping?” “Mpph...nargh...” Both ponies turned their heads towards the mysterious voice. Standing next to them was Lyra, her eyes half-closed and bloodshot, her jaw hanging open, and her mane a frazzled mess. If the ponies didn't know any better, they would have run out screaming about the oncoming zombie pony invasion. “Hon, what are you doing out of bed? I said you could sleep in today.” “...Huh?” Lyra shook her head vigorously, trying desperately to fight off the sleep demons compelling her back to slumberland. “No...I...have so much to do...just need a little caffeine, and I'll...” Her half-dead eyes turned to Ditzy, who grinned back at her nervously. “And what's going on with you? You're real early.” “Um...yes, I am.” Ditzy's level of discomfort in this conversation was rising radically with every second; any more, and it would be reaching “Inviting the Tyrant Sun to tea” levels. “They said I worked too many days in a row at the post office, so they're making me take today off, that's all. I was going to run some basket deliveries for Bon-Bon.” She nudged towards the other pony in the room, who responded with an equally forced smile. “I didn't mean to wake you up.” “Eh, I would have woken up anyway,” Lyra mumbled as she walked around the counter to her marefriend's side. “And I could have done the de-” She paused to let out a yawn, her mouth enlarging to the size of a small grapefruit in the process. “Deliveries all by myself...” A few lip smacks followed, accompanied by the mare's head tilting downwards just enough to mask her relentless sleeplessness. “No need to...” Ditzy shook her head and smiled. “You really need to get back to bed.” Her light admonishing done for the day, she turned back to Bon-Bon. “By the way, did you finish that basket for Raindrops? I wanted to swing by her house this afternoon and drop it off.” “Of course.” The candied mare of candy bent her head beneath the counter, rustled about with something down there, and finally pulled herself back up with a wicker basket wedged in her mouth. Beneath the cellophane wrap was a small collection of various candies, from rainbow bars to salt sticks to taffy ropes, and all of them known treats Raindrops was known to enjoy. Attached to the front was a small card with its recipient's name spelled out along with an attached message. “I think you should get this to her first, while she's still feeling good. I know what it's like to deal with ponies in the middle of long spurts of unemployment.” Ditzy smiled and nodded, as did Lyra, the latter seemingly unaware at the jab against her. “I just hope she's all right. Something like what happened yesterday must have been a real bad shock. For all we know she's just lying in bed, unmoving, unwilling to face this cruel, harsh world...” "HELLO!” All three ponies leaped into the air at the piercing cry of the newest intruder. Standing at the doorway was Raindrops herself, her face beaming with all the intensity of a full moon against a starry sky. To everypony's shock and horror, there was not even the slightest hint of depression on her form, save perhaps for this being the end result of a massive sugar binge. Ditzy simply stood next to the counter, jaw slightly agape at the sight, while Lyra ducked behind a surprised Bon-Bon just in case this nightmare ended with the arrival of the Tziimin once again. “Um...hello, Raindrops,” Bon-Bon said, her voice slow and low as not to agitate the slowly advancing pony. “H-How are you today?” Raindrops took in a big gust of air, her nostrils filling with the wonderfully intricate mixture of smells and odors that permeated through every inch of this little candy store. Even when she exhaled a moment later, her smile had not wandered so much as an inch. Her eyes, on the other hoof, scanned across every single item on display, from the most basic candy bar to elaborate boxes of gumdrops and premium chocolates. “I need to buy a gift basket! The biggest, best one you have!” Bon-Bon's eyes shifted back and forth between the room's other two sane occupants, but neither pony could offer more than a shrug to continue. “I...I have one basket that can hold up to fifty items or so. Everything inside is sold at a 50% discount, so...” The first answer came in the form of a large pouch slamming onto the countertop. The impact loosened the drawstrings, sending the tip of a princess' ransom worth of bits clinging against the polished surface. Ditzy and Bon-Bon recoiled in surprise at the sheer number of coins on display, but Raindrops seemed to pay their gazes no heed. “I'll take it! I'll even pay for the wrapping! Make sure you use the rainbow colored paper!” “I...will...” Bon-Bon very slowly started walking to the back, Lyra stumbling about behind her in case of danger. Once they were out of earshot, Ditzy turned her attention away from the bits and back to Raindrops. “Rainy...are you all right?” Raindrops huffed and pounded a hoof against her chest. “Of course I'm all right! In fact, I've never been better!” “But you just got suspended from your job.” Ditzy pointed a hoof at the coins. “Do you really think you should be spending your money like this? You really need to be more careful. You never know when an emergency will pop up.” Raindrops rolled her eyes and giggled, sending yet another shiver running down the mailmare's spine. She had seen Raindrops laugh before, albeit only occasionally, but never giggle, and especially not like a little schoolfoal. “It's all right, Ditzy! This is more important than any savings account!” “Important...than...” Ditzy shook her head vigorously, trying to push back her life of hard knocks and approach this whippersnapper on her own level. “Raindrops, you can't throw your money away like this! What'll happen if there's an emergency? Or if you don't get your job back and can't find another one? I've been broke before, and it's never fun.” Raindrops slowly turned her head about, locking eyes with the mailmare as best she could. Ditzy opened her mouth to further add to the conversation, but the words died in her throat as she got a good, long look at her compatriot's massive smile. “There's nothing to worry about. I know exactly what I'm doing.” Before this wonderfully productive conversation could progress any further, Bon-Bon finally emerged from the backroom. On her back was a massive wicker basket, packed to the brim with everything from oranges covered in white chocolate to raspberry-covered ants, with the whole thing covered by a brightly-shining, rainbow-colored piece of cellophane wrapping paper. With a grunt and a groan, Bon-Bon bumped the basket onto the countertop, sending the coins rattling about from the impact. “There you go. That'll be...” Raindrops raised a hoof and shook her head. “No need to tell me. Take every last bit in that bag. I know I don't need them anymore.” “B-But there has to be over a hundred bits here!” “Then that's what the price is!” Before anypony could say anything else, Raindrops grabbed the basket's handle in her mouth and darted away, skipping about like she was as free as any daughter. Nopony dared raise a hoof to stop her, lest they twist some muscle in their own body forcing their rigid forms to actually perform some sort of physical activity. It wasn't until one of the displaced coins finally rolled over the counter and clanged against the floor that Lyra finally spoke. “So...that wasn't just a nightmare, was it?” ---------- Carrot Top smiled and hummed as she wandered through her fields of bounty. The tops of the carrots poked precariously through the topsoil, threatening to trip anypony foolish enough to wander close to them, while several more were already bundled up and put on the cart for the afternoon market. And with no griffons or irresponsible weather managers to ruin this load, there was nothing standing in the way of Top and her money short of an invasion of giant, carrot-devouring beetles. And that only happened once. Besides, that left plenty of time in the morning for her other big task: her meeting with Trixie about that accursed petition the Union had sent for approval. “Hey, Carrot Top! Have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?!” Carrot Top shrieked and jumped back as Raindrops' head popped into view from above. The pegasus mare was hovering overhead, a large basket full of candy perched in her hooves. “Raindrops! What are you...?” That was the precious moment where she caught what was seriously wrong with this picture. Raindrops was not only smiling, but giving the biggest, toothiest, most in-your-face smile imaginable. It was the kind of grin Pinkie Pie would give after downing an entire warehouse full of sugar, bathing in a vat of cola, and finally swallowing a thousand breath mints within five minutes of each other. “A-Are you okay?” “What do you mean? I've never felt better in my life!” As if to back up her words, the mare flipped her backside downward, twisting about in midair so that she landed on her hooves. The basket momentarily spun about in the air before the pegasus reared up just slightly, caught it in her teeth, and finally set it down peacefully. “But seriously, have you seen Rainbow Dash? I really need to talk to her!” Carrot Top stared ahead blankly for a few seconds, the nerves on her forehead popping up just slightly under her coat. “W-Well...I think she likes to take naps over by the town hall. At least, that's what she does when there's nothing going on, and there's not supposed to be any rain according to the schedule or anything.” Her eyes shifted to the basket. “And what's up with all the candy? I don't remember us paying for that much.” “Well, duh! Of course you didn't pay for it!” Raindrops reached one of her forelegs over and pulled the basket closer to herself, hugging it like a foal would a teddy bear. “This is my present for Rainbow Dash.” “Present?” Carrot Top cocked her head to the left in hopes of jostling her brain enough to kick it back into gear. “But...didn't she cost you your vacation and help get you suspended?” To the farmer's eternal befuddlement, Raindrops did two things she never thought she would see her friend do: blow a raspberry and wave a hoof dismissively. “All water under the bridge. Besides, if all that hadn't happened, I would still be the same miserable pony I always was! Thanks to her and that anger management meeting, I have a new lease on life, a new attitude towards the world, and...” She paused to take in a big, deep breath. “Can't you just smell that morning air? Wonderful, isn't it?” “Um...sure?” Carrot Top mumbled, scratching the back of her crest with one fetlock as she did so. “Look...I have to ask something, and please don't take this the wrong way, but...did something happen after I left last night? Because you were very, very upset after the meeting, and...” Raindrops sighed and rolled her eyes at her friend's query. “Just the best thing ever! And it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't talked me into going into anger management!” The mare suddenly hopped forward, wrapping Carrot Top in a bear hug and pulling her in tightly. The farmpony gasped and weezed as she struggled to pull herself free, but it was to no avail; her friend's mighty muscles were just too much for her. “Have I ever told you how awesome you are? I mean, all our friends are really cool, but you're the only one I know who would really stick her neck out like that! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” “H-Happy to...help...” the mare croaked. She could feel her spine threatening to give just as Raindrops finally released her. The pegasus gave a final wave, grabbed the basket with her mouth, and flew off towards the town hall, leaving only a very confused, very bruised farmer in her wake. ---------- Rainbow Dash knew one thing: there was nothing quite like a quick nap on a pleasant day. The cloud beneath her was as comfortable as any mattress, especially after she had sculpted it into the perfect shape for her body. She still had an hour or two before noon, the work on her desk was nothing Cloud Kicker couldn't handle, and there were no changes in the weather for today, or at least nothing that concerned her. Fluttershy wasn't going out, it wasn't the right day for the spa, and Ponyville wasn't being destroyed for once. The mare yawned and stretched out her limbs, finally settling on just letting her forelegs flop over the sides of the cloud as she drifted off to dream land. After all, she was the Captain of the Wonderbolts, had just knocked out the Tyrant Sun in a single buck, and had to stop Tirek from crushing Equestria with a meteor. A superhero's work was never done... “Hel~lo, Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow Dash bolted back into consciousness so quickly that she almost took out the entire cloud layer with her. Standing next to her was Raindrops, her deposed worker, smiling like she was higher than a cloud and carting along a gigantic basket of candy. The two ponies stared at each other in total silence, Dash unable to comprehend the situation and Raindrops just doing her very best Pinkie Pie impersonation. Finally, the weather manager broke the tension. “What are you doing, Drops? Haven't you finished that stupid anger management thing yet?” Raindrops shook her head. “No need! I'm already happier than ever!” Rainbow Dash's eyes drooped, her lips turning into a snarl as she regarded the treats before her. “Look, I didn't like suspending you, but this is out of my hooves. I've got enough ponies breathing down my mane without playing favorites, and trying to buy your way out of this isn't going to help.” She cocked her head just slightly. “Then again...could you pass me one of those Rainbow bars?” Raindrops nodded, tore a hoof through the cellophane, and pulled out one of the wrapped, rainbow-colored candy bars. No sooner had the sweet passed owners than the wrapping was pulled off, revealing the delicacy hidden within. Rainbow Dash's mouth watered as she looked over the treat, its colors matching her mane and tail perfectly. “Okay, what's the occasion? You know I can't give you your job back just for a bunch of chocolates.” “Of course you can't!” Raindrops said, puffing her chest out as she did so. “You had to do your job, after all.” “Tell me about it,” Dash muttered to nopony in particular. “I mean, it's all 'Do this, do that, don't be late this time.' I work hard, you know! Just because a bunch of ponies think I didn't earn this job doesn't mean I have to keep proving myself!” She took a bite of the candy bar just as Raindrops plopped down on her flank, still grinning all the while. “Of course you work hard. Why else do you have to take so many naps?” Rainbow Dash nodded in response, her own lips curled from the sugar rushing through her. “I know I sometimes complained about having to do all your work and my own while you slept, but looking back, I can't say why?” The grin grew as she cocked her head. “Yes, we've had a lot of fights, but I want to get past that, you know? Like when I got mad at you when your friend visited? You didn't mean to cause that much damage, after all, and it wasn't your fault I lost my temper!” Even larger. “And who could forget that time you convinced us to let that storm tear through Ponyville? Sure, we all got written up for that, my pay was still being garnished when I got suspended, and you made a mess of the whole town just so you could spend time with your friends, but that's no problem whatsoever.” And again, the smile grew, threatening to consume her entire face. “And I'm so sorry I assaulted you when you cost me my vacation! I know it was wrong and terrible of me to do such a thing, and I apologize. That's why I brought you this lovely little basket! I just wanted to show you how much I really appreciate what you do....and how I really feel about you...” Rainbow Dash's entire mouth froze mid-chew, her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel. Raindrops continued to stare at her, her teeth barred like something out of a horror story. There was something horribly wrong with her, that much was certain. Nopony ever acted this nonchalant, especially to the pony who had just cost them their livelihood. If Rainbow Dash lost her job, she wouldn't buy them candy and try to smooth things over, unless... That was when she noticed an odd taste in the rainbow bar, a flavoring that wasn't normal for this brand of candy. Almonds. The pegasus let out a world-shattering screech and darted off into the air, letting the candy bar fall through the clouds and slam into the unforgiving earth below. Raindrops climbed back to her hooves, her smile just barely shrinking as she closed her eyes and tilted her neck just slightly. “I thought she liked almond bars.” She shrugged. “Oh well, I guess I'd better leave this in her office.” ---------- “So...what happened with Raindrops, exactly?” Lyra rolled her eyes as Trixie leaned forward in her chair. Pokey Pierce was out of the office, running some paperwork between the various local offices of...whatever it was Trixie didn't want to bother herself with. Bon-Bon was back at the shop, tending to her customers in a desperate quest to repress her memories of this morning. That left only Lyra and Ditzy to let the government know of the impending doom that no doubt faced all of Equestria. And now they were facing the Representative of the Night Court herself, Trixie Lulamoon, personal student to Princess Luna, and Bearer of the Element of Magic. “I'm telling you, something is very wrong with her,” Lyra said. “She came into the store, bought the most expensive gift basket Bon-Bon sells, and then didn't even bother to take her change! And she was smiling the whole time!” Trixie shrugged. “So? Last I checked, there wasn't a law against being happy.” “But she just got suspended,” Ditzy added. “She shouldn't be throwing away her money like this.” Her eyes narrowed. “And this wasn't just a regular smile. We're talking about a panther about to dig into its dinner kind of thing.” Lyre looked about the office, as if afraid somepony else might be listening in. Once she was certain they weren't being spied on, she leaned forward and placed her forehooves on Trixie's desk. “Bon-Bon thinks she might be doing drugs. I know, it's stupid to even think about, but...having your mood change this quickly isn't really possible.” Trixie sighed and rose to her hooves, walking around the desk as she levitated her cape and hat back on. “Lyra, Ditzy, don't you think you're jumping off the deep end here? She just started anger management, remember? Maybe it's sticking this time.” “B-But changing this quickly?” Ditzy shook her head. “I'm sorry, but...I can't see that happening.” Trixie smiled, preparing herself to speak down to the masses yet again. “There was a baron in the Night Court who used to be addicted to chewing gum. I mean he would smack his lips around every minute of the night. Then one day, he decided to quit. Just went cold turkey. All of the sudden, he couldn't shut up about how awesome it was to not be chewing the same gum for hours on end, how much of our lives were being wasted on drinking and the like, and couldn't even get through a simple meeting without praising himself. Puissance finally had him banished from the Night Court just to have some peace and quiet.” She tilted her hat back, eyes closed and lips curled upward. “Raindrops is probably just going through the same thing. She's finally gotten over her anger problems, so she needs to work at finding a proper emotional balance. What we need to do is just be supportive. That way, she doesn't end up like...” The conversation would have continued from that point had the door not suddenly sprung open. Everypony's attention turned to the entryway, but saw nothing...until they looked down just slightly. Carrot Top was slumped on the floor, slowly pulling herself into the room. “H-Hello...Sorry I'm late.” All three ponies galloped over to the downed mare, doing their best to pull her back to her hooves. After a few mismanaged lifts and holds, they finally settled on Lyra and Ditzy carrying Carrot by the forelegs on their backs while Trixie looked on in confusion. “What in Equestria happened to you?” “R-Raindrops,” the mare coughed. “She came looking for Rainbow Dash...grabbed me in a big hug...” She grimaced as a fresh wave of pain coursed through her body. “She...doesn't know her own strength right now...” Trixie reared up and galloped back to her desk, levitating open one of the drawers and pulling out a small bottle of painkillers. Before anypony could blink, she was right back to the group, shoving two of the pills down Carrot Top's throat. “Pierce uses these when he oversharpens his horn. They're supposed to work miracles.” Sure enough, they did. Carrot Top's entire body loosened, allowing her to finally stand on her own hooves again, albeit shakily and with no small amount of discomfort. “Th-Thanks...but we really need to find out what's...” “We're on it already,” Ditzy said, giving her friend a comforting pat on the uninjured part of her back. “Come on, we need to find out what happened last night before anything else goes wrong.” The four ponies nodded in unison and began to walk out...all save for Lyra, whose attention was focused on Trixie. The blue unicorn had made it just five steps before she turned to the musician, her eyebrow raised in confusion. “What's wrong?” “Oh, nothing.” Lyra rolled her eyes and smiled. “I was just wondering how many bad habits you kicked just before you came to Ponyville.” Fortunately, she had the good sense to flee before Trixie could lob anything heavy. And thus the chase was ahoof...